A Linguo-Stylistic Analysis of Newspaper Reportage on the 2010 and 2011 Crises in Jos: A Case Study of The Nation and This Day

Abstract

Editorial writers have consistently manipulated language to achieve their aims. Language, in whichever way it is used, is not an end in itself but a means to an end. It is a tool used in achieving a variety of communicative goals or meeting certain needs imposed upon human life and experiences. This paper takes a critical look at the way English language is used in editorials to effectively communicate sensitive issues. These sensitive issues cut across security, religion, health and a wide variety of academic subject fields. This research explores the linguistic and communicative significance of the editorials in influencing readers’ attitudes as regards the crisis in Jos and its environs. Its objectives are to identify those linguistic features of grammar, lexis and semantics that have been used distinctively by editorials to portray the 2010 and 2011 crises in Jos. The investigation is based on the analysis of eleven editorials in ‘The Nation’ and ‘This day’ newspapers between the periods under review. This demonstrates that the good writer consciously manipulates linguistic and stylistic devices in order to communicate effectively.